Retreat sewing

The vertigo is better this morning, but yesterday, when I bent down to help someone find something on the floor, that was NOT a good thing! At least it's not affecting my enjoyment of the companionship of friends and sewing or writing, so I'm good! 

I accomplished a lot yesterday, although I can only share a bit with you. Boy, oh boy, sewing is humbling! It's so easy to get distracted and make a mistake. Good grief—you want to whack yourself for doing that, but there's always a plan B, so one must move on!

Besides the work on QUILTsocial, I managed to get some of my personal stuff done. 

This is a project from a couple of years ago when we had a class on Pre-cuts. I had most of the blocks complete, but not quite. I still need a few pieces of the background fabric, which is at home, for this project. But I got four rows together - it's not pressed yet, so don't panic! 

A partially completed quilt top

I have two more rows together but can't join them yet. When I get home, I need to finish three blocks, and then I can put the top together. I could make the binding here, but I'll leave it until I get home. 

I also brought my serger, intending to join the backing for this quilt. That is also done. As this one is a gift, I hope to get it quilted soon, although I have a couple of customer quilts to do first. 

A quilt ready to be quilted

I started another project last night, and it's on the cutting table. I should be able to get the top together today and then try to figure out borders or what to do with it. It needs to be bigger for a lap quilt, and I have extra fabric, so I could make it larger. I'll see how it goes today and make a decision. 

These are projects that need to be tidied up. They've been sitting around for years!!! 

I counted, and there are six more projects in my basket, and I said I wanted to work on each of them. So maybe I make one block and put it back in the basket for the next retreat? 

I have more work to complete on my QUILTsocial projects today and more writing tomorrow. So far, I've kept up with everything, so all the pieces should be completed. There will be no UFOs, but it's a challenge. No worries—I'll make it happen. 

But you can see that I was busy. Look at the threads!!!

Threads!!!!

One of the ladies was wearing her Gee's Bend T-shirt yesterday, so I had to snap a picture. She got it on the sale rack in Target a couple of months ago. Of course, I spent some time trying to find one, but they are no longer for sale! At least not online. I could easily make the T-shirt—it's super simple: a regular T-shirt with a patch pocket. That's it! 

Gee's Bend T-shirt

But the label is pretty cool! 

The label for the T-shirt

 I knew they were out whenever the collection was released—there was also a jacket, but I looked at it at the time and decided then that I didn't need it. I still don't need it!

Someone else had fun with the ice maker! I'm not a fan of ice, so I couldn't care less if there was an ice maker, but many people love ice, so we had fun watching how quickly it froze the ice cubes. 

Making ice cubes

Things were going well until after dinner when I changed the foot on my sewing machine and forgot to return to a straight stitch. CLUNK—I broke a needle. 

OH - the needle broke!

But all is good. 

It was hot yesterday, but I still walked in the afternoon. I didn't get a chance in the morning because we had the two UFO club Zooms. Today should be a somewhat quieter day? What does that exactly mean anyway? 

Well, I'm off to finish editing my document so I can send it off and then back to sewing! 

Have a great day!!

Ciao!!!

A quiet day at the quilt retreat

The sun is shining and burning off the mist, and it looks like it's going to be a glorious day! 

My vertigo seems to be somewhat better this morning, which is good, but I had one bout that made me want to throw up and die. It can do nasty things to your head. Once I'm up, I'm OK, so get up! 

I didn't have a chance to follow up on some advice I received yesterday, but hopefully, today will be a slower day! We had some visitors, and someone else joined us here at the retreat, and we've had much catching up to do. 

We saw a wild turkey sitting on the fence. 

Wild turkey

We saw one hummingbird at the bird feeder and then spotted a Baltimore Oriole with its bright yellow chest. He was feeding at the hummingbird feeder. I'm unsure how he managed, but he returned several times. 

The hummingbird posed on top of the feeder instead of buzzing around feeding! Perhaps he was checking us out in the house as we watched him. 

The hummingbird at the feeder

I completed one more post for QUILTsocial. I got some work done on the next one, which is written but needs to be edited. 

I got my UFO ready for this morning. That was a bit dicey, and I really want this project to be done! But I'm one step closer to completing it. I've cut some of the applique shapes using the digital cutter, which worked well. Then, there were times when I was ready to throw the cutter away. I just did the remainder by hand, and that worked well. 

We also took a drive to the Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe in Stratford. What a maze of fabrics at that store! I didn't intend to buy anything, but I went with a list—I need a new seam ripper for my retreat box, and I wanted to try that crackle material that you put in cloth books. I found both, and I found some fabric (on sale) for a backing and one or two other small things. Under $100! 

But look what someone else found. This is a beautiful bundle of fat quarters, and it was half-price! $70 for 27 fat quarters!

A beautiful fat quarter bundle

 

We have the UFO club this morning, and the presentations are ready for that. We also booked our retreats for 2026. It's incredible that we have to book them so far in advance, but one of the places we go to was almost completely booked! 

It's going to be short today, but things are well. After all the running around in the last couple of weeks, I'm tired, so I napped on the couch in the morning. 

On that note, Have a great day!!

Ciao!!

Quilt Retreat

Someone mentioned that they are also in the process of doing a file sort/reorg. Yep—it can be tedious, and we'd all rather be sewing. For myself, it's the satisfaction of knowing that I've gotten a little closer to the ultimate goal of getting that stuff all cleaned up. That feeling now supersedes sewing at my house! 

I don't spend a lot of time sorting, especially if I'm not in the mood. Aim for 15 minutes a day. Surely, we can give up 15 minutes of sewing time to push ahead with the decluttering. Then, the sewing is a reward, and you can sew guilt-free knowing you put in those 15 minutes. That's how I look at it, and it works. 

Trying to keep Murphy out of the car while I packed it was challenging. Murphy hardly ever goes for a ride in the car, but she would LIVE in the car if I gave her the chance. She's a crazy dog, and I struggle to get stuff out of the house when she's around. She doesn't want to run away; she wants to be in the car. Of course, Lexi couldn't care less about what was happening, although she also likes being in the car. 

They are so badly behaved in the car—no, that's not true. They are good dogs in the car—it's just when they know we are close to the dog park that they go crazy, so I stopped taking them to the park by car years ago. If we go, we walk! 

I had to bring a few extra things to the retreat as I'm writing for QUILTsocial this week. It took me ten trips to bring all my stuff into the house! But as I finish with the various items, I'll walk them out to the car, so packing up on the final day will be manageable. I've already finished with one item! 

I know—you might ask yourself, is it critical to take some of the larger tools, like a Steam Press? And the answer is YES—bringing something like that is so worth it! You'll see what I made when the posts go live!

I've almost completed one post this morning, so that's good. Later this morning, I'll work on the next step so I can write about it tomorrow. So far, everything is looking awesome! 

It is so much fun to be back at the quilt retreat. I completely missed the one in March, but that's OK—it was for a good reason. It is good to see friends in person and not just on Zoom. 

It rained most of the afternoon, so it was a perfect day to be inside sewing. 

I had brought several projects besides the QUILTsocial project, so I grabbed one of them last night and started to sew. I had to finish sewing a few blocks and then start sewing the rows together. Shoot—I'm missing SEVEN pieces of the background fabric, and there was no excess in the box. I hate doing that, but I'm certain I have more of this fabric at home. I'll assemble what I can of the quilt and finish the rest when I get home. 

While walking the girls in the morning, I spotted these lilac bushes on the fringe of the sidewalk. 

Lilac bushes

It would be easy to slip one or two of the smaller ones out of the ground, take them home, and transplant them! I used to have a second lilac bush at home. Actually, it was on the forest side, and when I got happy with the trimmers, I cut the thing down so much that it died. I miss that lilac bush! I might just have to make this happen! 

We can spread out in this large house (Spring House Retreat), and I've commandeered three tables, not one! Yikes! I'm happy to consolidate if need be, but I think we are all good, and everyone has enough room to work. 

I chuckled when I went to bed. Look what I found on the nightstand. That is a jar of earplugs, although I don't know why the retreat house must supply that. You should bring your own if you know you'll be sleeping with others. 

Ear plugs

I'm unsure if I snore - no one has "reported" me, but it's entirely possible. However, I wasn't happy when I woke up because I've got vertigo! CRAP! Where did that come from? It's not bad, but the kind when you move your head in bed, and the world spins even though you have your eyes closed! Once I'm up and as long as I don't drop my head, I'm good. This isn't the first time; let's hope it lasts only a short time. 

At least I can think and function normally, so I'm good! 

Well, it's time to get back to work. I need to finish editing this post and start working on the next step so I can write about it later!

How did you make out with selecting and cleaning out one drawer? Did you at least pick the drawer? Hopefully, you made good inroads into clearing it out. Now, since I know that everyone has more than one drawer in their life -- why not pick a second one today. To mix it up - if you picked a bathroom drawer yesterday, why not grab a drawer in the kitchen instead. It all has to be done. Remember to be ruthless. Did you touch it in the last 6 months? Does it have sentimental value - take a picture and get rid of it. You come up with whatever criteria you need to keep things, but be RUTHLESS!!! 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Get ruthless!

Despite the fact that I had that Facebook Live yesterday and things had to get organized for that, I took time to clean out a drawer in the filing cabinet. OK, so I didn't finish, but I made a good effort. 

I was only going to pull a few files and then decided to take them all out. 

The empty drawer

There are four drawers, and I picked one. The files got scattered onto the kitchen table. 

The kitchen table as the sorting station

I went through them one by one. OH!!! I know there are folders for some of the same stuff in another drawer. That's the problem with my filing system. I've got the space, I've got the hanging things, and I've got folders, but the actual filing could have been better. 

I started sorting them by creating piles on the kitchen counter. Having space to work makes this process a whole lot easier. Even if I had the space in the office, it's so dark here. I really must think about repainting the walls in a MUCH lighter color! 

The sorting station

And I got rid of manuals for things we no longer own and haven't for a long time! I got rid of bills and other paper crap that just accumulated. I was running out of time, so I had to put the stuff back in the drawer, but it's a lot lighter than it was. 

Some of the crap back in the drawer

While it doesn't look like I took a lot out, there are about 3 inches at the front where there was only a little space before. A significant section is filled with EMPTY file hangers, and I didn't get a chance to go through the messy part in the front. 

Then, the folders will need to be relabeled and organized by category. Yes, I know it should have been done before, but it wasn't. I'm dealing with it now. Once those four drawers are done, I have two huge containers of filing to do. But as mentioned, I bet that most of that filing can be tossed. 

Some of our bills are now 100% online, but a few still come in the mail, so I must convert those to online only. Then, I must go through what's left and throw out all the utility bills. I mean, one doesn't really need to keep them. The only thing of interest is to see how little you were paying 20 years ago, but seriously? I can live without knowing that! 

I think I still have some maintenance bills for my old car. I certainly do not need those, so I have more work to do, but I made a start. And if that cabinet could be cleaned out and the filing dealt with, that would clear up some visual clutter in this room. Hmm—I'm going away for a couple of days, but I hope I'm still motivated when I get back. I NEED to be motivated. 

Now, I need to find a good site with suggestions about what paperwork to keep and what to toss. 

Good grief—I found the bill for our current TV. We bought it in 2008—it's a 46" TV. Can you believe how much we paid for it? 

We are keeping the TV, not the bill or the manual. Gone!! I know DH would like a new one, but this one is just fine for the time he watches. 

But we had an issue—we had a house sitter last week, and they messed up the cables on the TV. I called our provider to see what the problem was. OH—we are missing a cable on the receiver, but which cable? So we sort of got that sorted out, but it's still not working. I called the provider a second time to get some help. All I needed was someone to confirm which slots the cables went into—a simple request. 

The "support" person on the other end spent so long trying to confirm my account, and then she tried to go through a diagnosis. NO- we did an online and already had a ticket opened, but she couldn't grasp what we were saying to her. She had to be brand new and was following a script, but OH MY GOSH -- this was the worst support person ever. She finally got frustrated and hung up on us after about 40 minutes on the call still trying to confirm and diagnose when we just wanted a simple answer. 

I walked to the TV, checked the back of the receiver and the router, and switched one thing, and it worked. I guess I should have done that first, but I'm not into TV things—I have no idea what does what as far as cables go. 

Anyway, it's fixed, and DH is happy. He asked for a credit because of the crazy support person, and they gave us one month free and told her to listen to the recorded call to see that this girl did not listen to what we were telling her—not one bit! And I thought we were EXTREMELY patient under the circumstances!

The Facebook Live went well -- I forgot to show a couple of my samples! I ran out of time, so it's good I didn't make a ton more samples! But this was my set-up when I was done. I'll post the link when it becomes available. 

The aftermath of the Zoom call

Michael's has many online classes you can watch live or recordings afterward. Be sure to check that out; you'll find way more on the US site than you do on the Canadian site. 

Here's one of the spots on the forest path that were fixed yesterday. Let's see how well this holds up. I don't think they ever did all of those low-lying spots, so this should help whenever it rains. 

Repairs on the forest path

I unpacked my suitcase from my last trip, and there are my Studio B mascots. They were peeking at me in the background on the call! Those sneaky dogs!

Studio B mascots

Well, I'm packed for the retreat, but I don't feel ready. There's been too much going on, so I may end up at the retreat and do absolutely nothing today. I'll see how it goes!!

I will remind you daily to find some area of your house to tidy up! Grab a drawer - maybe the kitchen junk drawer, a bathroom drawer, or a filing cabinet. It could be a dresser drawer, but pick a drawer and be RUTHLESS. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

All about the dogs

I feel a tinge of guilt that we didn't have to completely clear that house, but it's only a tinge. 

But YES --- going through this entire process has made me look at my house and how it would appear in the eyes of someone after I am no longer here. Yes -- that is a totally scary thought! If I'm no longer here, I wouldn't hear their comments, but I cannot leave this mess for someone else to judge me. Come on -- you know they will! 

It's been eight years since my parents moved off the farm, and I've been dealing with my place for at least ten years. Yes, I'm slow, and I'm OK with that, but my progress is HUGE. I cannot stress enough—this place was never as bad as my parents, but there was a lot of stuff. 

The nice thing is that the more you clear and the sooner you start, the better it looks. Even the office is miles ahead of what it used to look like. There is nothing on the floor, and it was filled with boxes, so that's a positive. Things are contained, more or less, and I'm slowly working on it. I need to be in the mood, and I need to have the time. 

The mood strikes at the oddest of times, but not always when I have time. Yesterday, I managed to get rid of some paper. Now, does it look like I did anything? Of course not! But that was a dozen pieces of paper that are gone forever, and no one ever has to look at them. I'll try to tackle a bit more today. I'm OK with a bit at a time—the key is to keep at it. 

The craft stuff is still an issue, but at least it's all organized, and I'm not stumbling over boxes to get to something. That is HUGE, but yes, I know there is excess. The rest of the house is pretty empty. The kitchen has been gone through, and more than half of the stuff in the cupboards went. I could get rid of more stuff, but there isn't too much that we don't use. The bathrooms have also been gone through, and it wouldn't take long to take another spin through them. 

The garden shed and the garage have been dealt with, but both could probably use another clean sweep. The best part is that each subsequent time you go through a space, it's much easier and faster. The key is if you aren't accumulating as fast as you get rid of stuff. We are no longer accumulating much! The economy would tank on what we buy!

Hmm—I should go through the filing cabinet and toss anything that no longer needs to be stored. Then, I need to rejig that cabinet to keep what we need handy (labeled). There are two containers of stuff that "need" to be filed. I bet NONE of it needs to be filed. I might grab a few folders today and sort through them. Yes, I need to make that filing cabinet a priority.

It will all happen with baby steps, but I'll get through it. I will have time later today after my Facebook Live. My samples are set; I need to move the computer and the sewing machine to a reasonably clean corner of Studio B. The sign-up is on Michael's US webpage. If you go to that link, you can sign up and get the Zoom link to watch the hour-long session, which starts at 1:00 PM EDT. I'll also post the link to the video once it's online. I'll be using the Singer SE9180 (sewing and embroidery machine -- for sale at Michaels!) to talk about decorative stitches - how and when to use them, what tools and supplies will make it easier, and loads of inspiration on where to use them. As usual, I'd love more samples, but it'll all work out! 

I hope ticks never hit my forest like in the trees in Saskatchewan. That would take all the fun out of walking! We will have to take tick medication like we have for the dogs! I got a chuckle yesterday when Lexi and I walked through. Some low spots on the path are always muddy in the spring, and they have decided to fix them. However, I'm not sure that fixing them will solve the problem. There is one hill that erodes whenever it rains. And despite being fixed year after year, it keeps eroding. Perhaps they could pave that small section or put paving stones like they do in Spain! 

Anyway, there was a truck dumping fill on those low spots. There was a HUGE pile in this spot. 

OH -- there's a big pile of fill

And just a bit in this spot. Can you explain why? 

Only a tiny pile of fill

And then there was NONE at this spot, which is the worst of them all. It has dried up quite a bit, but it's messy. Lexi and I will check it out this morning to see what they did yesterday. 

No fill at this spot

Then Lexi took up her guard post outside DH's office even though Bear was NOT here to cause issues. Bear's stunt double is still packed in the suitcase, so you never know what will happen when he gets unpacked! 

Lexi is on guard

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and walked to the office and back. It was a weird weather day, but nice for walking. I was a bit tired when I got back, so I sat in the gazebo. I didn't have a nap—I had a long nap. But not before Miss Murphy was up to her old tricks. 

MOM -- just making sure you're OK

Oops -- Mom -- the ball fell in the pond. 

MOM -- I didn't throw it - I swear!

And then she sits in the corner, watching the world go by out the back fence. 

MOM - this is better than TV!

Or she's trying to show me how ferocious she can be with a big stick in her mouth. 

MOM - Look at me!!!

And then she chills on the deck. Oh, Murphy -- you're a very funny girl. 

MOM - I need to rest

But she's very clingy and doesn't want to let me out of her sight, and I can guess why. Still, it gets a bit much! But that's why we love her so much. She's just a goof!

MOM - I LOVE YOU!!!

I got some writing done yesterday and worked on those samples. Today is about the live event, and I'll be back to writing once it's done. I have some work to complete before I can move forward on the writing. While I hoped to have everything done BEFORE going on a sewing retreat, I'll be working during the retreat. Sigh.  But I get to do it with friends, so I can't complain. 

But I never seem to have time to sew for fun! I can't even get time to work on my UFO projects, which I have to finish. Yeah!! 

I won't worry about it -- it is what it is. 

Quilt Canada is coming up next month, and I'll be there. So once I get this writing done and these samples made, I have stuff to finish for that! 

But the Youth Challenge is online, and you can vote for your favorite. Check out all the quilts. There are three age categories, and I sponsored one of the quilts for the 15 - 19 age category. I think Shay did a fantastic job on her quilt. The sizes are not indicated on the page, but it's fairly large, and Shay is very artistic!! I haven't had a chance to see it in person, but I'll check it out in Edmonton next month. 

So be sure to pop on over there and vote for your favorite quilt. It's so encouraging to see the youth quilts, as they are the future generation of sewists, and we need to encourage them. 

On that note, I'm out of here! 

Have a super day, and remember to tackle some small area of your house. 

Ciao!!

Saying good-bye

I'm home! I can't even call it a travel day since I did a lot during the day and my flight was at 7:15 p.m. The plane arrived, and we left early. We arrived 22 minutes early last night, but with the time change, I wasn't home until 1 a.m. I think a nap will be in order today!

We arrived at the same gate we left at, and let's say the airport was deserted at that late hour. Another flight had arrived shortly before us, and our baggage was coming at the same carousel, but it was dead in that airport. 

The airport is dead at midnight

When I arrived in Saskatoon, my luggage took 20 minutes to arrive, but I had barely gotten to the carousel last night before it appeared. Yep—it was quick! Even the Uber stand was uncongested, so arriving at that hour was good, except I'm tired! 

Let's say two thrilled girls were waiting for me at the door. Even Lexi was excited, which says a lot!

I ran the self-clean on Mom's oven, so that was a nasty job done. When I returned to town, I barely had time to give it a quick wipe and be off! I spent the afternoon at the farm to get a couple of last-minute things. I feel bad (only a small teeny tiny bit) that some of the stuff Mom has asked for isn't there. We know where it is, but she doesn't need to know that! 

Then she complained that we didn't tell her anything, and I felt a slight twinge of guilt, but at the beginning, if you mentioned any item, she wanted it. So we've got into the habit of bending the truth—a lot! While she may not want the items now, we still don't bring up many things!

What amazes me is that after eight years, she can keep remembering stuff, and she knows exactly where it was—and it's still there! Sigh.

There is one thing I would love to find, and I didn't have a chance before I had to leave, so I may go back (oh gosh -- did I just say that?) 

I shouted GOOD-BYE inside the house several times before I left. I thought I would be more emotional than I was—I didn't shed a tear. Oh gosh—does that mean I'll go back? I met one of the new owners of the farm, and she is MUCH YOUNGER than I had imagined. They are not in a rush to deal with the yard for this year, and who knows what next year will bring. 

My Dad and two brothers were still there but left shortly after I did. I stopped twice to take pictures. This first one was from the top of the hill, looking back to the farmyard. It's far enough away that I don't see anything! I'm OK with that. 

Looking back at the farmyard

If I go back for curiosity's sake, the next time I'm out, and I might (so help me!), the yard is going to look a whole lot different. Buildings will be gone, and that's OK. 

I stopped on top of one of the hills on my way to town for my favorite view. Cameras do not do justice to the view, which stretches on for miles. If you had binoculars, you would see the highway across the river. 

Looking across the river valley

But look at those skies! I ran into rain and hail on the drive back to town. But it wasn't that much. 

Here's another shot of the storm on the highway to the airport. 

Those wide-open skies

Thankfully, the storm had passed by the time I got to the airport, and I had timed it perfectly. I dropped off my bag; the few things I took, and my small suitcase, all fit inside the large suitcase, and all was good on the weight side. I had forgotten to bring my scale. 

I got to go through a bit more before I left the farm. I laughed when I went through some cards. This was an anniversary card from an aunt. She used the same card more than once! You wouldn't know that until you see them all in one spot! 

And how about this to save design money? It's the same card, with a different picture and a different message (both anniversary). 

Saving money on card design

And that's a wrap on another trip to visit the parents! I have to say it went better than expected from many points of view, and next time, I get to work on the apartment. I can see by discussing some stuff with Mom before I left that it's going to be baby steps. But we have a task laid out, and let's hope she doesn't change her mind when I get there. 

Remember that huge pile of cushions on the floor? My aunt came to help me, and we managed to get the pillow forms out of all of them, except for a couple of small ones, which I was OK with taking in. But we did a great job, so thank you so much for all the help—it was greatly appreciated, and we also had a good visit. 

Now, here's the thing that irks me to no end. And I know this will never change, and I guess I've come to terms with it, but it still irks me. Mom said before I left, oh -- don't worry about taking the forms out of the cushions. I can do that, and Dad can return them to the farm. We are taking FORTY pillow forms made from foam, which are hideous! 

Can you imagine the number of trips from the car to the house and back again? And where would she store such a mess while she did it? She has NO CLUE about the amount of work that would involve, and I just wonder how grateful she is for what we did. I know that sounds totally petty, but she does not comprehend the amount of time everyone has spent cleaning up her mess! NONE! 

And seriously? For Dad to take them back? She definitely doesn't appreciate him, but she should because he's her lifeline! Without him, she can't live in the apartment! 

Oh gosh—I have a doctor's appointment today. Now, why the heck did I make that? Oh yes—two things I need to pass by her. I'll be spending the remainder of the day working on my presentation for tomorrow, which is the Facebook live on decorative stitches. I might get one or two more samples done, but I'm not sure how much of a nap I'm going to need. That gazebo is looking pretty inviting at the moment!

But first, the girls need their walks! That's the only thing they missed me for!

Remember the decluttering and tidying thing. I need to try and take care of something every day. Grabbing some papers that should be thrown out or something. But I should try to address something each day because every piece of paper that is dealt with is another piece of paper gone! Those accumulated pieces of paper or other useless stuff in our houses do nothing to help us each day. The cluttered house creates a cluttered mind, which is unhealthy. So be sure to look around your house and see what you can eliminate today!

I set aside a small bundle of papers that I should be able to process today. 

While it is exhausting to travel at night - simply because of the lack of sleep, it's good to be home this morning and I can hit the day running! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The tinkering runs in the family

Someone asked what will happen to the house. Actually, there are two houses on the property. One is the original house that my parents moved to the farm when they bought it in 1956. Hmm—I had better check that date—but it's somewhere in that era. Perhaps I can ask Mom today because I probably know, but yet I don't know. 

That house was heated with a wood kitchen stove and two oil burners—one in the living room and one in one of the bedrooms. There was no bathroom and no running water. I lived there until I was 16! My parents bought a house from North Battleford that needed to be moved to make way for some apartment buildings, and they had it moved to the farm. 

I spent hours in the "new" house when I was a teen—trust me—I couldn't wait to move in when I could have my own room, running water, a proper furnace, and a BATHROOM. I refinished the kitchen cupboards, plastered cracks in the walls, and I'm not sure what else. I think I moved my stuff in way before anyone else moved into the house. 

Both houses became storage units! Especially after the kids moved out. 

The farm has been sold—that deal was finalized at the end of last year. Neither house is worth saving—there is tons of mold. So they will be bulldozed and then burnt. I don't want to be there that day! We all know that will happen, along with all the remaining contents. It's the way they work on the farm. 

There are some smaller outbuildings on the property, two of which will be moved soon, and the remaining small buildings will be sold if they can. The new owner is being very accommodating in letting us continue to "harvest" the crap off the property. 

I know they are chomping at the bit, as they have already bulldozed 1/3 of the hedge that surrounds the house so they can easily access the HUGE garden, which they will seed. After today, I'm washing my hands of the situation and leaving my older brother to remove the rest of the stuff since most of what's left is his. I hope that he will be finished by the end of this year, but it's not my issue. 

Eventually, that homestead will likely cease to exist. We drove past some older farmsteads that I remember visiting as a kid, and they were gone. The homestead area is now a field. That will be the same for this property. It takes little time once they get in there with the heavy equipment, take it down, burn it, and plow up the land. 

I'm flying out tonight, so I have a few things to take care of today. The car has been full and then empty, and then it had more stuff and then it didn't. So I have a few more things to dispose of today, and then I can put my suitcase in, and that's it. 

I have to pack this morning, but I think my small suitcase will fit into the large one and still include the few things I'm taking back. Yeah me!!!!

What did I do yesterday? We had some papers that needed to be dealt with, and I'm happy everything worked out at the bank. I did not have all the information, so all is good. There is no need to fly off the handle if you don't know all the details. 

I had a quilt of Mom's that she wanted me to quilt, but it was made of lining, and I didn't want to touch it with the longarm. So, I made arrangements yesterday with a group of hand quilters who will take on the project. I had to get batting and backing and will drop that off today. I had to wash the backing last night, but all is ready. 

Then I spent the afternoon with this. 

A serger

My aunt has a serger that she couldn't get to work, so I tackled it. At first, nothing moved. Was it seized up, or was it the rust, or was there humidity in it? I fiddled and fiddled, and then I could see things loosen, and then VOILA -- the entire mechanism started to move. OK -- we're over the first hurdle. Then, inserting a needle was challenging as debris was in the needle holes. I got that working and then went on to thread it. It was relatively simple, but I couldn't get it to stitch properly. Hmmm! I tinkered around with that for a couple of hours and had a good visit with my aunt. 

So I checked out a video last night, which didn't help because the one part I wanted to see wasn't visible. Let's just say if you're going to post a video on how to thread a serger, you should be thorough. They had a piece of fabric on the serger that partially covered the insides, precisely on the spot I wanted to see, so the video was useless!! People -- if you are making videos -- review them and make sure you cover ALL the details. 

I gleaned one little tip from the video and hope to return today to try that out. 

I spent part of the morning working on the files on the hard disk I brought. Oh my gosh—what a huge mess, exactly like the house. The problem is that you know exactly where that file is supposed to go, but it's at home. So, I'll have to devise an efficient system to move the data. 

It makes no sense to keep going over the same stuff—deal with it once and move on. That's how my brain functions. 

I found a 2015 to-do list. I'm sure there are still things on the list that need to be done! 

To-do from 2015

I have a folder with Things to Keep. That was my method while I was looking at all the other files. Now, I've deleted everything I didn't need from this USB, and I believe only two files are in that folder. Oh yes -- I can do this!!!!

One folder with two files 

Then I tackled that hard disk and made good headway as I sorted rogue files into folders and deleted a lot of stuff. 

A clean file structure

I think my biggest issue is going to be dealing with duplication. I know there is a ton of duplication, and not only do I need to clean that up, but I also need to prevent it in the future. Hmmm—how do I prevent that? It's mostly files from work that are duplicated, so I'll try to devise some way to keep track of the files without duplicating them. 

So, all is good, and it's an excellent task to take along on a trip, so when I have some downtime, I can tackle a few more files. 

OH -- look at the price of cotton at the Fabricland here. It's always been crazy, but the deep discounts to members make the price reasonable. I happened to be in this Fabricland several times yesterday, and both times, people were trying to get the member price without an actual card. "I'll get someone to send me a picture of the card because I don't have it with me." Someone just purchased a card but didn't have it with them, but they happened to have the receipt. Three separate incidents. Hmmm -- perhaps they all share the same card!!!

$30 a meter for Oh Canada fabric

While we were cleaning out the house, my aunt spotted these. I never paid attention to them and brought them in so Mom could salvage the yarn. She said she wasn't doing that as they were sweaters and then asked if I recognized them. OH GOSH—I knit those when I was about 16. 

A sweater I knit when I was 16

Another sweater

The happy news is that I easily fit in both of them! After how many years? But the yarn is pretty scratchy, and I could never wear them. So they are donated. 

I have a bit of stuff to go through this morning. I wish I could go through this with my Mom and let her enjoy some of her stuff one last time, but I know she'll want it. So I'm taking some pictures and potentially removing some small items, but then it returns to the house. 

WAIT A MINUTE—there is something else I'm cleaning today at the apartment. I'll try to take a picture before I start. What drives me crazy is that she keeps it if she doesn't know what to do with it. Well, ASK!!!!! And then she gets mad at my dad if he doesn't know the answer, and stuff around the house is not his department. Sigh. I must remember to keep asking if there are things she doesn't know what to deal with. 

But at least we are making forward progress with her thoughts, and that's all that counts. I guess when I'm back, I'll have to start going through the cupboards and closets to see what I can get rid of. I know I have a big job ahead of me when I return, but I won't have to go to the farm for that. Well, technically, it's no longer our farm!!! 

On that note, I'm getting hungry, and it's time for breakfast. 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!